How will you facilitate an authentic collaborative learning experience to promote deeper student engagement with content skills and concepts?
The outcome of my instructional unit is for students to uncover evidence to answer the question How Cortez was able to defeat the Aztecs. Authentic instruction incorporates assignments that require students to think, develop in-depth understanding, and apply their learning to realistic, important problems (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2010, p. 59). Before my students investigate the events surrounding the encounter, there will be a series of activities to gauge their level of prior knowledge the students possess and ignite their curiosity. These opening activities are the foundation to a life long analysis of conflict beyond the isolated problem of the unit. Next, we will model several scenarios on the influence of group collaboration. The goal is to develop the social skills to allow the sharing of ideas. Additionally, with the assistance of peer helpers we will discover some helpful web 2.0 tools and demonstrate how they can be used. Finally, we will address content specific questions and brainstorm the differences in solving the challenges individually and collaboratively.
As members of collaborative groups, how will you support students’ efforts to identify solutions to the problem you are using as the framework for your PBL instructional unit?
Supporting my students’ efforts to identify solutions to the problem I am using as the framework for my PBL instructional unit will be accomplished by constructing a simultaneous project which will incorporate each group as my partners. We will bounce ideas off each other as one group while they maintain their own specific group creation. In a taped interview (Laureate Education, 2010) Dr. Katherine Cennamo and the various speakers shared with the viewers rather simple but innovative methods of long term knowledge comprehension such as flexible thinking, dissolving boundaries, and getting ideas and thoughts from others. The motivation is to begin a process in which students feel comfortable sharing ideas with one another and supporting the thorough acquisition of information. There is no pre-determined outcome for the creation of a whole class group, but an opportunity to receive and give feedback while balancing autonomy and support.
What criteria will you use to assign learners to collaborative groups, including a rationale? What will be the size of the collaborative groups you will include in your unit?
Group work is most equitable and productive when specific roles are assigned and the principles of cooperative learning are followed (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2010, p. 114). The criteria for assigning learners to collaborative groups will be to provide a diverse group with mixed abilities, interest, and backgrounds. The students will be placed in groups of four because the activities for the second activity require four different perspectives. Roles will include leader, recorder,/reporter, monitor, and collector. Which digital tools and websites are you considering for collaboration in your unit?
How will you assess participation of the students in their collaborative groups?
Assessment is more than the assigning of grades and serves a critical role in monitoring and evaluating the academic progress of your students (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2010, p. 187). Grading students’ group participation will be handled by using two rubrics. The main rubric is a differentiation rubric. The components of the rubric foster a positive and enriching learning environment. Students are encouraged to work to enhance the acquisition and competency of content knowledge of everyone. There is one subjective criteria and this reflects the difficulties of grading participation. It requires students to demonstrate teaching values for other students. The second rubric is used to grade the entire unit, but one category does address the objective duties of the team members. The goal is to for student to become confident historians through a joint effort of community.
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). “Promoting Creative Thinking With Technology” Baltimore, MD: Author “Promoting Creative Thinking With Technology”
The outcome of my instructional unit is for students to uncover evidence to answer the question How Cortez was able to defeat the Aztecs. Authentic instruction incorporates assignments that require students to think, develop in-depth understanding, and apply their learning to realistic, important problems (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2010, p. 59). Before my students investigate the events surrounding the encounter, there will be a series of activities to gauge their level of prior knowledge the students possess and ignite their curiosity. These opening activities are the foundation to a life long analysis of conflict beyond the isolated problem of the unit. Next, we will model several scenarios on the influence of group collaboration. The goal is to develop the social skills to allow the sharing of ideas. Additionally, with the assistance of peer helpers we will discover some helpful web 2.0 tools and demonstrate how they can be used. Finally, we will address content specific questions and brainstorm the differences in solving the challenges individually and collaboratively.
As members of collaborative groups, how will you support students’ efforts to identify solutions to the problem you are using as the framework for your PBL instructional unit?
Supporting my students’ efforts to identify solutions to the problem I am using as the framework for my PBL instructional unit will be accomplished by constructing a simultaneous project which will incorporate each group as my partners. We will bounce ideas off each other as one group while they maintain their own specific group creation. In a taped interview (Laureate Education, 2010) Dr. Katherine Cennamo and the various speakers shared with the viewers rather simple but innovative methods of long term knowledge comprehension such as flexible thinking, dissolving boundaries, and getting ideas and thoughts from others. The motivation is to begin a process in which students feel comfortable sharing ideas with one another and supporting the thorough acquisition of information. There is no pre-determined outcome for the creation of a whole class group, but an opportunity to receive and give feedback while balancing autonomy and support.
What criteria will you use to assign learners to collaborative groups, including a rationale? What will be the size of the collaborative groups you will include in your unit?
Group work is most equitable and productive when specific roles are assigned and the principles of cooperative learning are followed (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2010, p. 114). The criteria for assigning learners to collaborative groups will be to provide a diverse group with mixed abilities, interest, and backgrounds. The students will be placed in groups of four because the activities for the second activity require four different perspectives. Roles will include leader, recorder,/reporter, monitor, and collector.
Which digital tools and websites are you considering for collaboration in your unit?
The digital tools and websites I am considering for collaboration in my unit include GoogleDocs, Zoho Writer, spinscape, wiggio, thinkature, and twiddla My intentions are to provide resources students can use without having sophisticated knowledge of web 2.0 tools and several options they could consider if their interest or skill level warranted greater exposure. I will demonstrate a few of my personal favorites and also require groups to use one agreed upon resource every group is comfortable in using. Aztec information to assist students will accessed from the links http://http//www.newberry.org/aztecs/section_2_home.html , http://http//www.wsu.edu/~dee/CIVAMRCA/AZTECS.HTM , and http://http//www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/aztec.html[[http://http//www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/aztec.htmlLinks|Links]]
Students will be provided training with web 2.0 tools which will help them do remarkable things such as create videos, and provide text to speech for powerpoint. The resources can be found at the following links
http://www.flickr.com/
https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=writely&passive=1209600&continue=http://docs.google.com/&followup=http://docs.google.com/<mpl=homepage
http://www.spinscape.com/
http://text-to-speech.imtranslator.net/
http://animoto.com/
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/PhotoStory/default.mspx
http://www.go2web20.net/
Additional resources will provided at each computer station. If students find additional links they believe can assist their classmates, they will be encouraged to add them to the list.
How will you assess participation of the students in their collaborative groups?
Assessment is more than the assigning of grades and serves a critical role in monitoring and evaluating the academic progress of your students (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2010, p. 187). Grading students’ group participation will be handled by using two rubrics. The main rubric is a differentiation rubric. The components of the rubric foster a positive and enriching learning environment. Students are encouraged to work to enhance the acquisition and competency of content knowledge of everyone. There is one subjective criteria and this reflects the difficulties of grading participation. It requires students to demonstrate teaching values for other students. The second rubric is used to grade the entire unit, but one category does address the objective duties of the team members. The goal is to for student to become confident historians through a joint effort of community.
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful
classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). “Promoting Creative Thinking With Technology” Baltimore, MD: Author “Promoting Creative Thinking With Technology”
Collaborative grouping
Diversity groups with mixed interests, abilities, and backgrounds
Cooperative and collaborative learning:Exploration. (2004). Retrieved May 11, 2011 from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/coopcollab/explor_sub1.html
collaborative grouping
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/coopcollab/explor_sub1.html
Videos for lesson
cortez
Inca civilization
conquistador
Incas
maya
MesoAmericans